Late Monday, it was announced that a welterweight showdown between Carlos Condit and Johny Hendricks would co-main event UFC 158 as Rory MacDonald was forced to withdraw due to injury.
It isn’t the first time Hendricks has called out Condit, but this time he got his wish. “The Natural Born Killer” released a statement just after the fight was announced.
“While I was disappointed to hear that Rory MacDonald is injured, I am glad that the UFC was able to find a strong replacement for the fight in Johny Hendricks. He is one of the toughest Welterweights in the world, and has quickly risen up the ladder in our division. We are similar in that we like to stay active and aggressive in our fights, so this should be a great fight for the fans to watch.”
Hendricks is considered by many the number one contender in the welterweight division, so this fight could decide who will be next in line for the 170-pound title.
Having trained for MacDonald for quite some time now, one would think the change of opponents would set Condit back a step. However, he doesn’t feel that way at all.
“I have been training for Rory MacDonald, but there is plenty of time left to switch my focus to Hendricks. With eight weeks left, I will need every moment to be fully prepared for this battle. He’s called me out in the past, and now is his chance to try to back that talk up. I’ll be ready for him.”
UFC 158 will go down Saturday March 16, 2013 from the Bell Center in Montreal Quebec. George St. Pierre is set to defend his welterweight title against Nick Diaz.
